OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University head wrestling coach Adam Hall has announced the signing of six future Wolverines to his program.

Thunder Beard of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Chris Dennis of Furlong, Pennsylvania; Nate Gugelman of American Falls, Idaho; Owen Proper of Marana, Arizona; Czar Quintanilla of Spokane, Washington; and Elijah Schunke of Brandon, South Dakota, will all join the UVU wrestling program in 2026.

"I'm thrilled to announce our class of 2026 early signees. We have six quality young men who are ready to make an immediate impact on our program," Hall said. "We have five different states represented, including our program's first two student-athletes from Pennsylvania, the country's hotbed of wrestling.

"Thunder and Chris have proven themselves to be Division I-ready and are excited to officially become part of the Wolverine family," he said. "Elijah brings an array of strong qualities for a big guy and will grow even more in our room. We also have three young men from the West who have proven results and nationally ranked wins. Owen, Czar and Nate solidify our lightweights and are all eager to get started in Orem. Go Wolverines!"

Beard, one of two Pennsylvania natives in the class, attends Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg. He is a two-time PIAA District III champion, a three-time PIAA state qualifier, and placed fourth at the 2025 PIAA State Championships at 114 pounds. Beard enters his final high school season with 125 career wins.

Dennis, the second Pennsylvania signee, attends Central Bucks West High School in Doylestown. He is ranked No. 18 at 175 pounds in FloWrestling's high school rankings. A three-time PIAA state medalist — twice finishing sixth and once fourth — Dennis was the first freshman and first three-time medalist in his school's history. In September, he won the 175-pound title at the Grappler Fall Classic.

Gugelman attends American Falls High School in Idaho, where he has won three straight 4A Idaho state and district championships. A USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals All-American, he is also a three-time Idaho High School State Triple Crown champion — twice as a cadet and once as a junior. Gugelman went 15-1 combined in freestyle and Greco-Roman to earn Cadet Duals All-Tournament honors in 2023.

Proper, a four-time high school All-American, has twice earned All-America status at the USA Wrestling Folkstyle Nationals. He attends Marana High School near Tucson, Arizona, and holds the program record with 189 career wins. Proper is also an NHSCA Academic All-American, a state finalist and a three-time state placer.

Quintanilla, the younger brother of current Wolverine Q'veli Quintanilla, is a senior at University High School in Spokane Valley, Washington, and projects as a 133-pounder collegiately. His accomplishments include a 2023 Pan American freestyle championship, multiple national top finishes in Greco-Roman, first-place finishes in Washington in both freestyle and Greco, and three consecutive WIAA state titles.

Schunke attends Brandon Valley High School in South Dakota and has been part of three South Dakota state championship teams. He won his first individual state title as a junior and recently earned first-place finishes at the Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals and the KC Super 32 (Early Entry) tournament.

Utah Valley Wrestling 2026 High School Signing Class

• Thunder Beard, 125, Harrisburg, Pa. (Central Dauphin HS)
• Czar Quintanilla, 133, Spokane, Wash. (University HS)
• Owen Proper, 141, Marana, Ariz. (Marana HS)
• Nate Gugelman, 149/157, American Falls, Idaho (American Falls HS)
• Chris Dennis, 165/174, Furlong, Pa. (Central Bucks West HS)
• Elijah Schunke, 285, Brandon, S.D. (Brandon Valley HS)